‘Now I want to be a greenkeeper’

First Green continues to flourish after three further events were hosted and a major landmark was achieved.

Woburn Golf Club and Dartmouth Hotel, Golf & Spa joined the list of host venues in September, while Royal Liverpool staged an event for the second time in October.

The total number of young people now engaged by the STEM learning programme is an incredible 300, and beyond the numbers there is a real impact being made on individuals.

We have been collecting feedback from students, teachers, volunteers and BIGGA members, and it is the words of the young participants that underline how First Green is changing perceptions around greenkeeping.

“My favourite part was about the machines and learning about the parts and what they do,” said one youngster. “Now I want to be a greenkeeper so I can use the same machinery and technology.”

Another added: “We need more greenkeepers! They care about more than just the grass.”

While the children have been soaking up the experience of using golf courses as classrooms, school staff have also been hugely impressed by the offering.

“I was genuinely thrilled with the event and excited about the potential for further collaboration between the school and the golf club,” commented one. “The staff involved were outstanding - engaging, enthusiastic, and consistently going above and beyond to ensure our students felt both welcomed and valued. I cannot praise them highly enough for their effort and professionalism. The trip exceeded all expectations, and the students clearly expressed how much they enjoyed and benefited from the experience.”

The feedback from members who have thrown their support behind the initiative has been no less glowing, with one enthusing: “The engagement with the students was superb. It’s great to share our workplace with local schools. It was a great team event which brought everyone together with great pride for what they had achieved.”

 

• Number of events held: 8
• Regions covered: Central, Northern, Scotland, South West & South Wales
• Locations covered: Royal Liverpool (twice), The Bedfordshire, St Andrews, Clevedon, Dudley, Dartmouth Hotel & Spa, Woburn
• Young people engaged: 300 pupils and students from age 8-18
• Members engaged: 36

First Green: Phase Two

BIGGA’s Workforce Project Manager Jenny Bledge discusses the plans to push First Green to the next level

All secondary schools, special schools and colleges have a responsibility to provide careers education to young people from 11-18 years old. Although primary schools are not required to provide career-related learning, the benefits of starting early are clear. Research shows that children begin to fix their attitudes to work from as early as six.

Currently, the First Green programme is geared at school groups from age 10 upwards, with the lesson plans suitable for that age range up to 14. We plan to develop the lesson plans further over the autumn and make sure that events are tailored for older age groups (14 and over) where the STEM focus is still important, but there is also an emphasis on valuable career guidance and providing quality experiences of a workplace. 

We don't want to stop here, however, and once we move into the spring and more events get booked in the diary, we will be working on First Green for adults in terms of second careers, ex-military and those looking for a change.

We have also been attending various school careers events across the country over the past 12 months, and we encourage all members to get involved in these events in your local area. School career events are a great way for greenkeepers to share their career stories and inspire young people.

By joining in with events in your local area, you can show young people what being a greenkeeper is all about and how it can lead to a fun and rewarding career.

Your experiences could inspire the next generation to consider a future in turf management.

There will be a number of different careers events taking place and many different ways you can engage with young people.

Over the next few months, we will be sharing a database of such events in your regions for you to get involved with, along with launching a host of resources that members will be able to access to help you at these types of events.

If you have any suggestions for how we can help our members with school engagement or have any questions about outreach in your local area, please email [email protected] GI

Ways to engage

•  Video tour/day in the life: Produce a video of your workplace, which can be ‘A Day in the Life of’ or an informational video
• Careers fair: Have a stand to provide information and advice on your line of work and career pathways
• Parents’ evening: As above with the opportunity to engage with parents and carers
• Careers lunchtime drop-in: Attend a lunchtime drop-in session to give a 20- to 30-minute talk on your job role or sector area
• Careers carousel/Speed networking: Speak to students for approximately five minutes on your job role in a carousel style format
• Employer in lesson: Going into a particular lesson and linking your job with the curriculum. i.e. how you use maths
• Assembly: A short talk on your sector or your job role
• Employability session or workshop: A presentation or workshop covering areas such as CV writing and preparing for interviews
• Apprentice visit or talk: A talk from an apprentice on the route they chose and why, and what is involved in an apprenticeship
• Work shadowing: Provide a work shadowing opportunity for one or more students
• Mentoring: Provide face-to-face guidance for a student or group of students on a regular basis, helping them to prepare for the world of work
• Virtual/Online session: Can’t make it in person? Host online sessions
• Teacher placement: Welcome a teacher at your workplace and provide them with an insight into your sector and how they can link it to their teaching